A Favor to Ask
by cr8vgrl
Summary: Fred desperately needs Hermione's help and promises "anything" in return. What does Hermione want from him once she agrees? Does he want the exact same thing?
1. Charms Hustle

**A/N: I own nothing! (Like you didn't know that already!) Enjoy!**

"I have a favor to ask of you," Fred Weasley said, gritting his teeth as the girl in front of him slowly lowered her book in order to peer at him.

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione Granger asked, more surprised than sarcastic. Her hair, which she had attempted to tame into a ponytail had strands that had escaped and now fell around her face in loose ringlets. Her brown eyes were wide with curiosity as she gazed at the young man in front of her.

"I said that I had a favor to ask you," Fred said, fidgeting.

Hermione set her book down on the table and folded her hands on top of it. "This sounds serious," she teased, trying to set him at ease. Really, was the library that unaccommodating that even being inside its hallowed (in Hermione's opinion) walls set him on edge? "What happened? Did you fail Charms or something?" She smiled widely, knowing that Fred was one of the most talented people in Hogwarts when it came to Charms class.

However, her teasing did not have the desired effect. Fred's face went pale, paler than it had been before he walked in, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat with fright. For a moment, she feared that Fred might pass out. She hastily stood, nearly knocking over her tower of books as well as her chair. "You actually failed Charms?" she asked incredulously, unable to believe what his face was obviously telling her.

Fred ran a hand through his long, ginger hair, sighing. "Yeah, I failed this last assignment."

Hermione frowned, concerned for her friend. Though Fred had never spoken to her much, she had always considered him a friend, and she was going to do whatever he needed her to do. "How in the world did you fail Charms? You're one of the best."

Her admiration for him made him feel slightly better, but not enough to forget the fact that he had failed. He could still see Professor Flitwick's disappointed face in his mind. "Thanks," he said, speaking modestly for the first time since he had met her. "Actually, I was helping George plan this prank on Malfoy and, well, I completely forgot about the page of parchment I was supposed to write."

He had expected her to be angry, to dress him down in no uncertain terms, but Hermione only shrugged and asked, "Did it work?"

Fred was startled and was forced to ask dumbly, "Did what work?"

"The prank against Malfoy," Hermione clarified for him. "Did it work?"

Fred answered cautiously, having no idea where Hermione might have been going with this. "Yes."

A small smile flittered across Hermione's face and then she nodding, sitting back down in her chair with a smirk still plastered on her face. "Good," she said, and then looked up and smiled at a surprised Fred. "So I take it you need me to tutor you even though I've never covered the material you're studying." Her tone was light because she knew that that was _exactly_ what Fred needed, and she was going to happily help him.

Fred glanced over her face, annoyed. "We both know that you've already covered this stuff, being the brightest which of your age and all, so would you please just help me out? I'll give you whatever you want in return." The desperation in his voice further astonished Hermione.

"Anything?" she said, speaking to herself, surprised by his offer. She hadn't expected anything in return.

However, Fred took it the wrong way. "Anything," he promised her, his hopeful voice snapping her back to attention.

Hermione nodded at him. "Sure. I'd be glad to tutor you. Shall we meet here tomorrow after dinner?"

Fred nodded quickly and, in a bold and unexpected move, crossed the distance between them and kissed Hermione's cheek lightly, his lips barely brushing her skin. "Thank you so much," he said, his tone obviously relieved. "See you tomorrow."

And then he was gone, disappearing out of the library as quickly as he had come. Hermione placed a hand dazedly on her cheek and tried to return her attention back to the book opened in front of her, but to no success. After ten minutes of trying to focus on the same word, she finally gave up and hurried out of the library. She needed to find Ginny. Now.

* * *

"…and then he kissed my cheek," Hermione concluded, unaware that her eyes were sparkling uncontrollably.

Ginny was sitting on Hermione's bed, smirking after having listened to the whole story about her brother and her best friend. "Finally," she said with a dramatic sigh, only to have Hermione throw a pillow at her with surprisingly good aim. "What?!" she cried, trying unsuccessfully to look offended. "My gosh, Hermione! You've liked him for how many years?"

Hermione, realizing that the question was not rhetorical, answered quietly, "Four."

"And I've told you for the last two that he was interested in you, so what's the problem? He came to you for help, and his ego probably took a terrible hit with that one, and he's asking you to tutor him! Seize this moment!"

Hermione smiled at her friend's words. Over the many instances where Ginny had assured her that Fred seemed interested in her, she had dismissed her friend, all too sure that Ginny was wrong. However, that small kiss in the library had awakened her affections for Fred Weasley in a much stronger way than before. "Maybe you're right," she finally conceded, knowing that she would have ample time to discern his affections over the next couple of days.

Ginny scoffed sarcastically. "Of course I'm right," she told her friend, chucking the pillow back at Hermione. "I'm always right when it comes to my brothers. After all, I told you that they were all idiots, didn't I? And look how that turned out."

The girls' dormitory rang out with their laughter.

* * *

The next day began an entire week of studying and tutoring for Fred and Hermione. They walked together from dinner to the library, discussing what they should study in low tones. Hermione couldn't help but revel in the fact that every time Fred spoke to her, he would lean his head close to hers, his breath teasing her ear.

Fred, who was usually a master at Charms, had no problem catching up, and most of their time in the library was unconsciously spent talking. Then, Fred would lean closer, and Hermione would realize that they had wasted some of their valuable time on pleasantries, and would direct their attention back to the material.

After talking Fred through an assignment, Hermione would often pull out her own schoolwork, missing the soft gazes Fred sent her way when he looked up. Several times, she caught her eyes rising to peek at him over the top of a book, only to find him already looking at her. "Alright?" she would ask each time, wondering if some problem had given him trouble.

Each time, Fred would nod and look slightly embarrassed, but not ashamed. "Yup," he would tell her. "Just thinking." And then he would dip his quill into his inkwell and would continue on about his work until he felt that it was safe to turn his gaze on her again.

One time, as Hermione looked up, she caught something in Fred's gaze before he could wipe it off his face that she did not truly understand: affection. With a slight blush, Hermione looked down at her book. In that moment, she knew what she would ask Fred for in return.

* * *

Their last night together in the library was the day before a large Charms test. Fred and Hermione sat curled up in chairs, neither making any move towards the books stacked on the table. They both knew that Fred knew the material inside and out, and had only needed a little bit of help getting caught up. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me," Fred told her seriously.

Hermione waved aside his praise. "It was nothing," she insisted, striving for humility. "You did all the work, really. I just prodded you along and denied you all the rests you wanted in between."

Her teasing tone made him laugh and he nodded. "Yes, that you did." Then, his gaze turned serious once again. "So, I'm sure you've thought about it. What can I do for you in return?"

Hermione wanted to refuse, to say that she had helped him and tutored him all because she loved him, but Ginny had warned her that Fred's pride could not take such a double blow, and had advised Hermione to come up with something small. That was when Hermione had come up with her idea. However, now that he was asking her about her wish, she found that she couldn't voice it. "I'd like to wait until I see that you've passed the test before I collect. That way it won't be unfair."

Fred protested, "But you've given so much of your time to me. It doesn't matter if I pass or not."

Hermione tossed her hair back impatiently, trying to cover up her fraying nerves. _"Don't let him push me into telling him the truth,"_ she thought, silently pleading with him not to be too stubborn about this. "Of course it matters," she told him, her tone indicating that her answer was the most uncomplicated idea in the world. "When you pass that test, I'll collect, and not a moment before." She placed her arms over her chest, putting her best stubborn face on, outthrust chin and all, in the hope that he wouldn't argue.

"Fine," Fred said with a detached sigh, no longer listening as he glanced back at the table unconsciously.

Hermione leaned over and placed a gentle hand on his arm, shocking them both with the brush of contact. "You'll be fine," she assured him. "Don't worry about it. It was a onetime fluke. It doesn't mean that you're suddenly no good at Charms just because you got a bad grade. You know this stuff inside and out. Now, what you need to do is to go and get some rest."

Fred nodded. "You're right," he said resignedly. Standing, he offered her his hand and helped her up. He hadn't realized that his action would bring her body so close to his, and he felt himself swallowing heavily as he looked down at her. He watched as her eyes widened for a moment, and then grew a shade darker. What it might mean (he had the faintest, hopeful idea) but he knew that he had to get away from her before he did something she might later regret him doing, like kissing her senseless.

"Um," she said, trying to fill the gaping chasm of silence.

Her voice brought him back to the present and he dropped her hand, stepping away from her slightly. "Goodnight," was all he trusted himself to say.

Hermione nodded, smoothing her skirt with slightly trembling hands. "Yes, goodnight," she answered, stepping towards that table and gathering all her books. "See you tomorrow."

They parted ways outside the library, not wanting to walk with each other to the dorms. They both knew that the walk could turn out to be rather awkward, so instead, Hermione slipped into the kitchens and Fred headed out to the quidditch pitch. An hour later, they managed to miss each other as they headed back to their dorm. Neither slept very well.

* * *

Hermione was nervous. She hadn't seen Fred all day since she hadn't gone down to breakfast and he hadn't shown up for lunch, so she had no idea how the day had gone. She saw George in the hallway as she exited the Great Hall and ran up to him. "George, have you seen Fred? Is he alright?"

George just shrugged. "Sorry, Hermione, but I haven't seen him since Charms."

Hermione bit her lip and left him, nodding. Had things in Charms gone that badly? What if she hadn't taught him enough? What if he was somehow unprepared? What if-

"Hermione!" someone called.

Hermione whirled around and found Fred running up to her. "Fred!" she called. She was going to say that she'd been worried about him, hadn't seen him all day, etc. but he picked her up and swung her around before she could say another word.

"I did it," he told her gleefully, setting her down as he panted out the words, slightly out of breath. "Flitwick told me that I passed."

She laughed and hugged him, not thinking clearly about what she was doing. When she pulled away, however, he didn't appear to mind, so she took that as a good sign. "Congratulations!" she told him. "See, I told you that you could do it!"

Fred nodded and took her hand with a small smile, tugging her along with him. Hermione had no idea where he was leading her, but she dutifully followed along, trying not to analyze the moment like she usually did. He ended up leading her out to the lake, motioning for her to sit in the sand next to him. "So," he finally said. "I have you all to myself now." He winked at her to show her that he had nothing nefarious planned, and then asked seriously, "What are you going to ask me for?"

Hermione's face paled and then reddened as Fred asked his question. She glared down at the sand, wishing that it would open up and swallow her immediately. When suddenly presented with the moment, Hermione found herself mortified by what she had come up with. "I-I," she stuttered, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

Fred, sensing her discomfort, leaned forward and used his hand to gently lift her face to his. "Please tell me," he said softly, earnestly.

With him being so close to her and so completely in earnest, Hermione couldn't help but give in. "I just want one kiss," she said softly.

Fred sat, stunned for a moment, but then his smile grew wide and he leaned very slowly towards her, the hand on her chin bringing her small face closer to him. He kissed her softly, sweetly, deeply, passionately. They ended up sliding sideways in the sand, never breaking their kiss, and Fred's hands found Hermione's tresses and the back of her neck. They stayed that way for a long time. They broke the kiss only when Hermione turned her head to the side, her mind telling her that her lungs no longer had any oxygen in them.

From his elevated position above her, Fred smiled down at Hermione. "For some reason," he said, the familiar teasing tone in his eyes, "it seems to me that that doesn't _quite_ cut it. Perhaps one more?"

Hermione smiled brightly at him. He liked her just as much as she liked him! Shoot, Ginny had been right. She smiled back up at him and then nodded. "Maybe, or maybe two?"

Fred frowned. "Mm, no. How about three and date?"

Hermione could tell that they were both enjoying where this bargaining was heading. "How about three, a date, and we continue to study together?" If they continued to study together, not only would they be able to spend time with each other, but Fred might need more help and would then be indebted to her again. And by the look on his face, Fred knew exactly where her thoughts were heading.

He nodded, his eyes sparkling as he leaned down to meet Hermione in a searing kiss. "Deal."

**A/N: And there it is! Hope you enjoyed this. It came to me rather out of the blue. Please review!! That means so much to me!! :D**


	2. Christmas Bustle

Christmas was officially a terrible time of the year, in Hermione's opinion. At least this year's Christmas was. She and Harry had been coerced into staying at the Burrow over their vacation. Harry had not had any trouble adapting to the change in schedule, but Hermione had almost refused. She missed her parents, and she knew that they missed her, but they had told her that they were fine and that they wanted her to enjoy herself over her holiday. So, that was why she had stayed. And because of Fred.

Ever since she had helped him with his Charms essays, they had become closer and closer. Since that night when he had fulfilled her wish and had kissed her by the lake, they had had absolutely no time to themselves. The kisses that night might have been perfect, but they had not been able to repeat that night. Not once.

They had tried everything short of kissing in front of everyone, which Hermione definitely did not want to do. Fred had tried to "kidnap" her and pull her into a few secret passageways, but someone would always come up to speak to her just as he was about to deliver the fatal tug. They had tried to meet up in the library, but just as Fred had lowered his head to kiss her, Madam Pince had come around the corner and had exclaimed over the terrible ways her library was now being used. After the dressing down they received from her, they never tried to kiss in the library again.

In short, the couple wanted time alone. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no privacy at the Burrow. Fred had asked her to come along with Harry because he figured that they could at least spend more time together (which she truly _was_ grateful for) but not even that had worked out. Mrs. Weasley needed Hermione for something when Fred was free, and Mr. Weasley was dragging Fred away as soon as Hermione finished her task.

And so, a day before the holiday, the two teens were anything but cheery. Hermione was lying in the bed that Fred had kindly transfigured for her, staring up at the ceiling. The twins were at the shop in Diagon Alley that they were fixing up and the rest of the boys, including the older Weasleys that had come home for the holiday, were outside playing quidditch with Ginny. For the first time in a long time, Hermione found herself alone and able to breathe. However, the silence was no longer enough. She wanted Fred. She wanted to talk to him, to hug him, she wanted to kiss him, and most of all, she wanted to give him her gift.

There was a knock at the door, and Hermione sighed. "Come in," she said softly.

The door opened and Ginny stepped in. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

Hermione nodded. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Ginny shrugged. "I would've thought that you would be happy to stay here," she told her friend, "but you've gotten even more depressed-looking since you've arrived."

Hermione was startled. She hadn't noticed that she had been so affected by her inability to see Fred. She hadn't meant to cause her friend concern. "I'm sorry, Gin."

In a moment, Ginny's eyes widened and understanding dawned. "It's because of Fred, isn't it?" she cried, and Hermione flicked her wand at the door, silencing them within the room.

"Would you keep it down?" she cried. "We don't want the whole Burrow knowing."

Ginny took a seat at the edge of Hermione's bed, looking properly rebuked. "Am I right?" she asked. When Hermione nodded, Ginny went on, "I should've known. Fred's been moping around the place as well." She sighed. "Our family hasn't given the two of you any time together at all."

Hermione shook her head. "No, and I think it's beginning to get on both our nerves. We've wanted to go on a date since we got together, and we haven't even been able to do that." She sighed. "I really am grateful and happy to be here, I just want to spend some time with Fred, that's all. We wanted to wait until after our first date to tell everyone that we're dating, but at this rate, we'll never get the chance."

Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment and then tugged Hermione up from her bed. "Come on," she said eagerly.

Hermione frowned in confusion. "Where are we going?" she asked as her friend literally dragged her out of her room.

Ginny didn't answer until she had accio'd Hermione's boots, scarf, and hat and had placed them in all their proper spots, arranging them to her liking. Then, she tugged Hermione towards the fireplace. "We're going to Diagon Alley," she said plainly. When Hermione started to protest, Ginny held up her hand. "It's high time you and Fred had some alone time. Now come on."

Before Hermione could even open her mouth, she had been shoved into the floo and she was rapidly tumbling out of the fireplace at 93 Diagon Alley, right into Fred's arms. "Oh!" she cried, and then groaned as Ginny came next, tumbling right into her back. "Ouch!"

Ginny blushed and murmured, "Sorry about that. Didn't have time to catch myself." She smiled at Fred, who was using this golden opportunity to hold on to Hermione, and said, "We just dropped by for some alone time." She winked and then asked innocently, "Where's the other one that looks like you. You know, the better looking one?"

Fred swiped at her playfully. "Shoo," he told her. "He's in the back room testing a color changing potion. Maybe you could be the tester? Purple would look lovely on you."

Hermione laughed as Ginny tossed her hair back and stalked out of the room. She glared at Fred playfully and told him, "You shouldn't say such things to your sister."

Fred laughed. "She's my sister. What am I supposed to say to her?"

Hermione shrugged and snuggled closer to Fred. "At the moment," she told him, "I really don't care." They stood there in the middle of the box-filled room for a while, not saying anything. Though 93 Diagon Alley was rather dark and cold at the moment, since the twins had just started to fix it up, Hermione couldn't think of a better place to be.

"Mione, I was thinking-"

"Uh oh," Hermione teased, interrupting Fred's "thinking" train of thought.

In response, Fred pinched her arm. "Hey!" he complained. "It happened to be a good idea!"

Hermione squeezed her arms around him, resting her head on her chest. "Couldn't resist. Go ahead and tell me about this great idea of yours."

Fred huffed sarcastically and then pressed his cheek against her head. "I was thinking that we could go on a date after Christmas before we have to go back to Hogwarts. Everyone will have gotten the holiday madness out of their system and won't pay any attention to us."

Hermione looked up at him, a twinkle in her eyes as she asked, "What makes you think I'd want to go on a date with you? So presumptuous of you! Ginny _did_ say that George was the better looking twin."

Fred's mouth dropped open in shocked delight. He was the only one that could make Hermione loosen up as much as she had at that moment. He pushed her away from him and said, "You're being cheeky!" She raised an eyebrow and he said, "Are you being cheeky?"

Hermione's grin widened. "Only if you'll do something about it," she told him with a straight face that quickly melted into a grin.

He laughed and then pulled her close, saying truthfully, "Mione, I love you."

Hermione's mouth fell open and her heart sped up. She blinked, looking up into Fred's hopeful face, and raised herself up on her tiptoes. "I lo-"

"Hermione!"

Fred jumped back from Hermione and she struggled to keep her balance. She looked up to find George bounding down the stairs, not paying any attention to the couple. She smiled back as he picked her up and whirled her around. "How are you?" he asked. "Fred and I haven't seen you for hours!" He winked at her and she couldn't help but laugh. When she chanced a glance up at Fred, however, she noticed that he wasn't smiling.

Ginny came into the room next, looking regretful and bashful. "Sorry," she whispered to Fred. "I tried to keep him occupied without doing any damage to myself in the process. That only works for so long."

Fred turned to his little sister, keeping his voice low so that his brother, who was trying to coerce Hermione into trying one of their canary creams, wouldn't hear him. "What have I always said was the most important rule of quidditch?" he asked her.

Ginny paused, surprised at the change in subject, but then guessed, "Win at all costs?"

"Besides that," Fred conceded.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know."

Fred bent and put his lips right next to her ear. "Sacrifice the body. Take the hit." When he pulled away, he was grinning, so Ginny guessed that he was only teasing her.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at her brother. "There was no way I was letting him turn my body into that horrid shade of purple he had in mind. Absolutely no way. I love you, but I don't love you _that_ much."

Fred laughed and walked over to pull George away from Hermione. "Don't test that on her, Forge," he told George, deftly plucking the canary cream out of his twin's hand and pocketing it so that George couldn't "accidentally" slip it into some food substance of Hermione's.

"Fine," George said with a huff. "I still say that she'd make a pretty cute bird."

"She _is_ a pretty cute bird," Fred said without thinking. His eyes snapped up to Hermione's and then flitted to look at his brother, who was blinking at him.

"I'm not a bird, Fred," she said, blushing.

"Well you're certainly not a kid anymore," Ginny piped up, desperate to save her brother. "You are a bird. And a very pretty one at that, if you'd only tame down that hair of yours." There, the trap was set, and just as she had expected, Hermione launched into a debate about how her hair was _not_ bushy anymore, it was simply wavy, effectively changing the subject without realizing it.

When Ginny finally "conceded" to her friend, she sighed and said, "I guess we'd better get home, huh?"

Hermione nodded. "I guess so." She turned and smiled at both Fred and George. "Thanks for showing us the shop. Will we see you at the Burrow for dinner?" Instantly, she realized her mistake. Of course they would! It was Christmas Eve!

"Of course!" George said, and Fred nodded as well, his eyes fixed on Hermione. Tonight, she knew, he would want her to finish what she had been about to say.

"Great!" Ginny chirped. "We'll see you there."

They flooed back to the Burrow and tumbled out, breathing deeply. "That was close," was all Ginny said as she tried to brush herself off.

* * *

That night, the Weasley family, along with Hermione and Harry, gathered around the table to celebrate the season. Many of their family members would have to leave early the next morning, so they had planned on exchanging presents tonight instead. As they passed food around, exchanging conversation and jokes, Hermione couldn't help but smile. Every light at the Burrow was on, twinkling merrily along with the candles that floated above the table. Charms kept the food piping hot, and the mugs kept refilling their hot cider and cocoa.

"Would you pass the potatoes?" Harry asked Hermione, and she leaned over to grab the bowl, only to find that it was slightly out of her reach. The bowl suddenly lifted off the table and floated over to Hermione's hands and she looked up in surprise to smile broadly at Fred across the table.

"Showoff," Ron muttered.

Hermione handed the potatoes to Harry and focused back on her food. Her heart was beating faster and faster as the time for gifts drew closer. Would he like her gift? Should she have gotten a newer model, despite his comment to her months ago? What if he didn't like it? _"Of course he'll like it!"_ she told herself in order to stop her nerves from getting frazzled.

"Everyone gather around the tree!" Molly Weasley ordered, happily buzzing from one place to another in her excitement. Hermione picked a spot on the couch, across from Fred, who was seated close to the fireplace on the floor next to George. Bill, Fleur, Charlie, and Percy, newly reconciled to the family, all sat on another couch, and Ron, Harry, and Ginny seated themselves next to Hermione. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat in two chairs close to the large tree so that they could hand out the gifts.

"Charlie," Mrs. Weasley said, handing Charlie a gift marked for him from the twins. He opened it and found a slip of paper with a charm on it that would keep the dragon fire from touching his skin.

"Thanks, guys!" he said, truly appreciative. "That'll be very handy."

Bill came next, along with Fleur, and then the gifts were passed around one after the other. It was going to be a long night, Hermione knew, but it was so much fun to wait anxiously to see what you got, and what the people around you received. As Mrs. Weasley reached down and pulled out Hermione's gift for Fred, Hermione felt herself tensing. She had placed it in a large box so that he wouldn't be able to guess what it was immediately. Mrs. Weasley struggled with the box for a moment, and then her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at Hermione. "It's for you, Fred," she said, curiosity plain in her voice, "from Hermione."

All eyes turned from Hermione, to Fred, and back again. Fred stood up slowly and took the box from his mother, returning to his spot so that he could unwrap it slowly, his eyes occasionally turned back to Hermione's. When the paper fell away, Fred's eyes widened and his head shot up to look at Hermione once more.

"Do you not like it?" she asked worriedly. "I got the right one, didn't I?"

"Well show us, Fred!" George cried, unable to see what was in the box.

Slowly and carefully, as though he might break it, Fred pulled out the polished Cleansweep Five, holding it up so that everyone could see it. George's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and since Fred made no move to say anything, Hermione spoke up quickly. "Fred and George played a brilliant prank of Malfoy a few months ago," she told the stunned audience. "Apparently, Malfoy had said something rather degrading about me, and so they pranked him. When Malfoy found out who was responsible, he cursed the first twin's broom he saw, which was Fred's. That's why Fred hasn't played quidditch in months." Hermione looked shyly at Fred, who was watching her with a soft look on his face. "I figured that it was a befitting gift, but I didn't buy anything newer because you said you wanted you old broom back." She bit her lip. "Is it alright?"

"It's perfect," Fred said softly. He didn't need a Nimbus, or a Firebolt. This present from Hermione must have cost her quite a lot, and he would treasure it forever. "Thank you," he said softly.

"You're welcome. It's charmed against spells and the elements, so it won't break or warp," Hermione said softly.

There was silence in the room for a moment before Mrs. Weasley pulled everyone's attention back to the presents. Throughout the next round, Fred and Hermione exchanged several meaningful looks, and Ginny had to nudge Hermione to get her attention back to the gift exchange. "To Hermione, from George," Mr. Weasley said as he handed the small pouch to Hermione, looking startled. The twins always gave one gift to each person from both of them, never separate.

Hermione took the pouch and opened in carefully, half expecting it to blow up. Inside, she found a handful of canary creams and a note that read: **To my favorite little bird, Happy Christmas**. She smiled brightly at George, who was waiting for her response, and said, "Thanks, George."

Hermione waited anxiously as the round of gifts started all over again, knowing that the only gift she had left was from Fred. When Mrs. Weasley passed her the small box, all eyes once again turned to her. Gently, Hermione unwrapped the box and opened the lid, taking in a short intake of breath when she saw the charm bracelet within.

She'd heard of so many people having been given charm bracelets that she had always thought that it would be redundant to get one herself, but this gift topped them all. The chain was of magicked, unbreakable silver that shimmered on its own. The charms were small and delicate, and Hermione knew that Fred had chosen the size to accommodate her busy lifestyle. A silver quill, a silver wand, a silver book, and a silver beater's bat hung down from the chain. On the bat, in very tiny letters, it said, _To Mione, with all my love, Fred_.

In that moment, it didn't matter that they had never gone on a date. It didn't matter if the whole Weasley family and Harry were watching her as she carefully slipped the chain onto her wrist, only to watch as it adjusted to her small bone structure. It didn't matter that they had wanted to wait to tell everyone that they were dating. Nothing mattered at that moment except for Fred.

In one, smooth movement, Hermione was up off the couch and launching herself at Fred, knocking him backwards and kissing him with all the passion that had been pent up for so long. It took Fred only a moment to respond to her, pulling her closer and twining his hand into her hair as he smiled into the kiss. He understood. Secrecy didn't matter anymore.

She pulled away from him, smiling wider than she had in a long time, not caring that everyone but Ginny was staring at them open mouthed. "I love you too," she told him. "I love you so much, Fred."

Fred's smile broadened and he pulled her back for another kiss as Ginny grinned at George, whose grin was now just as wide.

"Wicked," the siblings said.

**A/N: And there you have it!! To those of you that asked for a "sequel-ish" fic, I hope you enjoyed this. This IS the last chapter, there won't be another one, but I really hope you liked it. :D Please review and tell me!!**


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